problem gambling
Sign in to saveAlso known as gambling disorder, pathological gambling, ludomania, gambling addiction, compulsive gambling
repetitive gambling despite demonstrable harm and adverse consequences
Key facts
- Other names
- Ludopathy, ludomania, degenerate gambling, gambling addiction, compulsive gambling, pathological gambling, gambling disorder
- Specialty
- Psychiatry , clinical psychology
- Symptoms
- Spending a lot of money and time in casino/sports betting
- Risk factors
- Video game addiction
via Wikipedia infobox
~31 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Problem gambling (PG), also known as pathological gambling, gambling disorder, gambling addiction or ludomania, is repetitive gambling behavior despite harm and negative consequences. Problem gambling may be diagnosed as a mental disorder according to DSM-5 if certain diagnostic criteria are met. Pathological gambling is a common disorder associated with social and family costs.
The DSM-5 has re-classified the condition as an addictive disorder, with those affected exhibiting many similarities to those with substance use disorder. They both activate reward mechanism in brain, causing dopamine release to reinforce repetitive behavior. Both often lead to loss of control.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “problem gambling” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.